1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to semiconductor devices and processing, and more particularly to high quality planar semiconductor growth on III-V materials.
2. Description of the Related Art
In many applications in the semiconductor industry, it is advantageous to grow crystalline materials on monocrystalline substrates. In one example, planar germanium (Ge) films need to be formed on an InGaAs substrate. However, this is very difficult due to the existence of residual As atoms and native oxides on the surface of the substrate. The resulting grown Ge film is not continuous. Deep pits form in the substrate leading to non-uniform Ge growth.
In an attempt to grow a more uniform and continuous Ge film, high temperature baking prior to the Ge growth has been employed. While such techniques clean native oxide and perhaps residual atoms on the substrate surface, these methods have proven to be insufficient at growing continuous and acceptable Ge films on GaAs substrates due at least to the weak Ge bonding at the nucleation stage.